For Cesar Aponte, having a voice means so much more than being able to speak. It means advocating for himself, communicating with his teammates and having the confidence to take on new challenges.
“Having a voice is the most powerful thing,” he said. “With a voice, you can make anything happen. You can create opportunities, and you can have more open doors.”
It’s a lesson Cesar has learned throughout the course of his life.
When he was in kindergarten, Cesar was nonverbal. At home, his family spoke Spanish, while he was learning English at school. Communicating was difficult, and finding ways to connect with other kids was even harder.
“I was just playing by myself and toys,” he remembered. “I was trying to fit in with a couple friends, but they would push me away.”
Despite being isolated and feeling like he was always on the sidelines, Cesar kept working to find ways to communicate and connect with the people around him. First came sign language. Then pictures. Then individual words like “more” and “food.” Slowly, those words became sentences, the sentences became conversations, and the conversations turned into friendships.
“When I finally was able to communicate, it felt like a relief,” Cesar said. “And I was able to make friends. So I got what I wanted from that, and I wanted to keep going.”
That same determination has carried Cesar through nearly two decades with Special Olympics.
He was eight years old when his mom signed him up for a Special Olympics soccer team through his school, Princeton House Charter School. He remembers his first competition clearly, even if he didn’t quite understand the significance of it at the time.
“It felt like I was in a playground, playing with the ball,” he said. He no longer felt like he was stuck on the sidelines.
Seventeen years later, soccer has taken Cesar far beyond that first field. He has competed at four Special Olympics USA Games in New Jersey, Seattle, Orlando and Minneapolis. He has twice played in the Special Olympics Unified MLS All-Star Game and has played Unified soccer with Orlando City SC.
Now, he hopes another opportunity is on the horizon: representing the United States at the Special Olympics World Games Santiago 2027.
“It feels really good,” Cesar said. “I’m excited about the opportunity to go to Chile. I have never been to a different country before.”
The trip would be especially full circle for Cesar. Growing up, speaking both English and Spanish sometimes made communication more difficult. Now, he’ll travel to a Spanish-speaking country to compete on behalf of the United States, bringing with him a language that was once part of the challenge he faced as a child.
“What makes me most proud is how far I have come,” he shared. “I went from being nonverbal in kindergarten to graduating from college, communicating confidently, and continuing to challenge myself.”
For Cesar, Spanish is more than a language he grew up speaking. It is part of his story. And if he joins Special Olympics USA in Santiago, it will be part of a new one—taking the field on the world stage, surrounded by a language and culture that have always been part of his life.